


Call my name and I'll be there

by dytabytes



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-05 08:59:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dytabytes/pseuds/dytabytes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stacker Pentecost: good Marshall, best dad.</p><p>Sometimes little girls just want to be princesses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Call my name and I'll be there

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angleico315678](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angleico315678/gifts).



It's not until the week of Halloween that Stacker notices his daughter's melancholy. It's not in anything she says, but in the way she acts in the lead up to October 31st, slightly more subdued than usual, her small smiles coming less easily than they should and fading when she notices some of the techs wearing silly hats at lunch. He hadn't been expecting it -- she hadn't had any problems last year at this time. But then, he thinks, last year they'd still been getting to know each other and becoming close had been a slow process.

It's hard to let yourself be less than perfect around someone who you want to impress. Stacker hadn't wanted to show weakness to the girl he had promised to protect, and he's sure that Mako hadn't wanted to show imperfection to him as a person she looked up to. Maybe she had felt unhappy about the holiday last year, and he just hadn't noticed.

The thought perturbs Stacker. He's been trying his best to be everything for Mako that his father wasn't, supportive and there for her whenever she needs him to be. He resolves to find out what upsets Mako about Halloween as soon as he can.

He brings it up at dinner, never having been the kind of person to come at an issue anything but directly. 

"Mako, is something about the time of year bothering you? Perhaps the holiday celebrations?"

His ward looks up from her plate, eyes widening in a way that makes him sure that he hit the mark. 

"Oh! I'm sorry if my attitude has been bothering you, sensei!" She smiles weakly. "It's nothing to worry about. We're too busy with preparing the Jaegers for battle to worry about childish things."

Stacker hums. "I understand why you may think that, Mako. We do important work here, and it does keep us very busy. But while I may be the Marshal of this Shatterdome, I am also your guardian, and I take that responsibility just as seriously. Believe me when I say that I will never be too busy to hear about anything you may worry about."

Mako nods, but she looks down at her food almost immediately, pushing it around her plate. Stacker reaches out to take one of her much smaller hands in his own, catching her attention again. 

"Mako, to be truthful, more than anything else, it'd worry me far more to think that you might not be telling me about the things that are bothering you. I can't help fix something that I'm not aware of." He tries a smile and is warmed by the way her face brightens in response. "So with that said, would you like to talk about what's upsetting you about this holiday? Is it the Kaiju costumes? I know that some of the technicians were wearing them, but I can tell 'em to knock it off if you want?"

"No, sensei!" Mako shakes her head quickly. "I don't mind the hats... they weren't scary at all, and Ijima-san was a very funny Godzilla. It’s..."

She pauses, and Stacker squeezes her hand gently. "Yes?"

Mako's cheeks turn pink. "It's really nothing important, sensei."

"Why don't you tell me, and I'll decide that for myself?"

"I just..." Mako tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Honda-san's wife visited him for lunch today, and she was dressed up as one of the Sailor Senshi. She was very pretty."

Stacker tips his head, confused as to this train of thought. "Go on?"

"I am going to be a Ranger, and Rangers aren’t..." Mako looks away. "I know that I'm not very pretty, and I don't mind, because a Ranger doesn't have to be pretty to kill kaiju. But it would... I wish, sometimes..."

"Ah, Mako." Stacker covers her hand in both of his own. "You are pretty. More than that, you're beautiful."

"I'm your ward, sensei! You have to say that!" Mako giggles, which makes Stacker grin. "I'd still look like a duck in a princess gown!"

"If you were a duck, you would be the princess of Swan Lake, Mako.” Stacker waits a beat, then asks, “Should I call Honda-san in? He’ll agree with me.” 

“Sensei! You’re his boss! He has to agree with you!” Mako giggles more, pulling back to cover her mouth with her hand when Stacker wiggles his eyebrows. 

Now that the issue is mostly resolved, Stacker lets the discussion drop in favour of lighter fare, like Mako's impression of Ijima's Godzilla roar. He doesn't forget, though, turning the issue over and around in his head for days and weeks after Halloween rolls into the chill of November and the deep snows of December. 

Japan is having a winter holiday celebration, doubling as a celebration of the opening of a new Shatterdome in Tokyo. Given that his ward is Tokyo's Daughter, Stacker and Mako are invited as guests of honor. It's a perfect occasion to set off the plan he's been brewing ever since Mako had mentioned Honda-san's wife. He makes a few calls.

Stacker and Mako land in Japan the morning before the Tokyo Dome celebration is to be held. They're fresh from their review of Anchorage's set up, so Mako is yawning loudly despite herself. Stacker sends her to their rooms to take a nap, patting her on the shoulder as he sets off to "review the facilities".

In reality, he leaves that to the Marshal in charge of the Strike Team, certain that he'll be called for a second opinion once they're done. Instead of wandering the Dome, then, he travels into the city. 

Traffic is terrible, but Stacker manages to return from his errands just as Mako wakes from her nap. She wrinkles her nose at the city smells that he brings back with him, but her eyes light when she sees the packages he carries.

"What's that, sensei? Did you get a new uniform for tonight?"

"In a way." Stacker offers it to her, eyes twinkling. "Why don't you open this up and find out?"

Mako looks confused, but takes the garment bag from him. When she pulls the zipper down, she gasps.

"Sensei!"

She pulls gently sparkling fabric out of the bag with reverent hands. "What... what is this?"

"I had to talk to a few tailors, but I've been assured that it's a fairly close match to Princess Serenity's." Stacker fiddles with the box in his hands, the most unsure he's ever been about this purchase. "Do you like it?"

"It's for me?" Mako looks up at him, clutching the dress to her chest like it might be taken away from her at any moment. "This is for _me_ to wear?"

"Well it's certainly not mine." Stacker laughs and opens the other package he'd brought back, revealing the top hat within. "I thought I'd try my hand at Tuxedo Mask instead."

"But Sensei, will the other members of the PPDC-"

"They will see a man escorting his beautiful daughter, who is wearing some clothing that is fit for the princess that she is." 

"Sensei..." Mako bites her lip, then Stacker is trying to keep his balance as she throws herself at him for a completely unexpected, impromptu hug. "Thank you very much!"

“Oof!” For all that they've been family for over a year now, Mako isn't very tactile, so Stacker isn’t used to physical contact. After a moment of surprise, though, he hesitantly returns the embrace. It's comforting to hold her to his chest, warm and alive and very much pleased with his gift. 

"I’m glad you like it, Mako. Only the best for my girl, right?"

She nods into his chest, and he pats her on the back, letting go before they both embarrass themselves by crying. "Come now, we've got to get dressed, or we'll be late."

Later, it turns out that someone in the news very much recognizes the resemblance between their outfits and those of the characters in Sailor Moon, and reporters everywhere go into a frenzy for a week or so, trying to find out if Stacker Pentecost is a closet otaku. The whole thing is a source of ribbing for a while, but Stacker takes it with grace. Yes, even the bouquets of roses that get thrust at him at the next few events he attends in Japan. It's worth it for the newspaper screenshots he manages to secret into a private folder to look at later. His favourite is one where he is escorting Mako up the stairs. She's radiant as she smiles, looking more beautiful than the moon and stars, and he's standing barely a step behind her, ready to catch her if she falls. Just as it should be


End file.
